Introduction

The Nikkor AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 G IF-ED DX is a gold ring lens
indicating a professional grade Nikon lens for F-mount DSLRs.
It is a designated DX lens with a reduced image circle - therefore
it is not compatible to full frame Nikon cameras. The field-of-view
is equivalent to 25.5-82.5mm so it covers a little more
range compared to the classic 28-70mm f/2.8 standard zooms.

The AF-S 17-55mm has a price tag a little beyond the 1000 EUR/US$ barrier
but upon first contact it is pretty obvious that you also get some
value for your money - the build quality of the lens is superb. The lens body is
made of metal and there're rubber sealings to protect it against dust
and humidity. The focus ring operates pretty smooth whereas the zoom ring
is slightly on the stiff side but it is also well damped.
The lens extends slightly at the extreme ends of the zoom range -
more so towards the wide end as you may notice in the product images above.
While this design may appear a little unusual (though not unprecedented) it
has obviously advantages regarding the lens hood which can be deeper and
therefore more effective. Thanks to an IF (internal focusing) design
the front element does not rotate so using a polarizer is no problem. Typical
for all G lenses the Nikkor does not provide a dedicated aperture ring
anymore. Like most modern Nikkors it features a silent-wave (ultrasonic)
AF motor providing very fast and near-silent AF operations.